How to Run a 25 Team Single Elimination Tournament
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How Does a 25 Team Single Elimination Tournament Work?
A single elimination (knockout) tournament with 25 participants would include 5 rounds and a total of 24 games.
Bracket Size
The bracket size is determined by rounding the number of teams up to the next power of two. With 25 teams, the bracket expands to 32 spots.
Byes
To find the number of byes, you subtract the real team count from the full bracket size. With 25 teams placed into a 32 team bracket, there would be 7 byes in the first round.
Rounds & Games
A 25 team single elimination tournament features 5 rounds and 24 total games:
- Round of 32: 9 actual games and 7 byes
- Round of 16: 8 matchups featuring the remaining 16 teams
- Quarterfinals: 4 games with the top 8 teams
- Semifinals: 2 games between the final 4 teams
- Final: 1 final game to crown the winner
Seeding
Choose one of the 3 options:
- Seeded (most common): The top-ranked competitors meet each other in the later rounds of the tournament.
- Random (or blind draw): Players are placed randomly in the first round.
- Manual seeding: Build the matchups in any custom order you prefer.
Compared to other Tournament Formats
A 25 team single elimination setup provides an efficient tournament layout, including relatively few games and finishing more quickly than many other formats with the same number of competitors.
| Format | Total games | Games per team | Rounds | Fairness | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round Robin | 300 | 24 | 25 | Everyone plays everyone | Best for leagues |
| Single Elimination | 24 | 1–5 | 5 | Harsh cutoff | Best for quick events |
| Double Elimination | 49 | 2–10 | ~10 | More forgiving | Popular in esports |
| Double Elimination with Consolation | ~36 | min 2 | ~9 (5+4) | Fairer, every team plays twice | Youth sports |
| Swiss System | 60 | 5 | 5 | Balanced, flexible | Chess, card games |
Printable 25 Team Single Elimination Bracket
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